Rococo Art

The Rococo movement was an art movement that emerged in France and spread throughout the world in the late 17th and early 18th century. The word “Rococo” is a derivative of the French term ‘rocaille’, which means “rock and shell garden ornamentation”.

Rococo features :

Rococo was a result of demand for more youthful art to be produced. It is also referred to as Late Baroque because it developed as Baroque artists moved away from symmetry to more fluid designs. Baroque remained the inspiration for Rococo, though in a more colourful & light manner. The Rococo movement addressed the most important controversy of the time – colour versus drawing – and combined the two to create beautiful pieces. Artists of this period focused more on attention to detail, ornamentation and use of bright colours. Rococo furniture and architecture was defined by a move away from the austere religious symmetrical designs of the Baroque. Instead, they focused on secular, more light-hearted, asymmetrical design, while continuing the Baroque penchant for decorative flair. In art, light colors, curvaceous forms and graceful lines became characteristic of the Rococo movement.

Sculpture was an additional locality that Rococo creative person branched into. In the main, this style was better expressed across delicate porcelain sculpture like than imposing marble statues. Themes of love & gaiety were reflected within sculpture, when were elements of nature & severity, curved lines and dissymmetry.